Topper Stories

Interview with Abhishek Sinha GATE ECE 2010 Topper AIR -2

Graduation: Electronics & Communication : Jadavpur University
GATE score: 1000/ 1000
Rank: 2
PG option: ME Telecom Engineering at IISc, Bangalore
Research interest: Artificial intelligence and wireless communication

He stood eleventh in West Bengal in his SSC and ranked sixteenth in West Bengal Joint Engineering Entrance (WBJEE). Also a recipient of Jagdish Bose National Science Talent Search (JDNSTS) scholarship in his first year of engineering at Jadavpur University (JDU), Abhishek Sinha is not new to academic success.

Praising the research ambience and faculty at JDU, he feels the environment is motivating for students. He began preparing for GATE in his third year. "I attended classes regularly. Lots of subjects taught at the undergraduate level are common to the syllabus of GATE. You need to be clear about concepts. As GATE is practice-oriented, you need to work consistently," shares Abhishek.
Abhishek says, practising problems, making concepts crystal clear and consulting the last 10 years' question papers is essential. Memorising formulae will not be helpful as problems are not straightforward. "Coaching is not an absolute requirement. You need to have access to good books and good faculty," he recommends. Abhishek, who gave 10 mock tests as part of Gateforum's test series experienced that they also serve as a shot in the arm.

With over 1 lakh students competing in the stream, GATE is a very competitive exam, he stresses. He fell short of the top position by a mere third of a mark. If you aim to get into IISc, you need to work even harder, as only the top 30 make the cut.
"You have to be very motivated and clear about your goals to pursue research. Publish a lot of papers and keep abreast of the latest developments in your area of interest," concludes Abhishek, who wishes to do research in artificial intelligence and wireless communication.

Prep mantras (Electronics and Communication)

1.Network Analysis: Be conversant with mathematical techniques like Laplace and Fourier Transforms and various network theorems, as they often simplify a given problem. Also, you should possess a general understanding about network graphs like cut-sets, tie-sets, adjacency matrices and related concepts.

2.Communication theory: It requires a working knowledge of information theory and Shannon's result for an AWGN channel. Stress on various analog and digital modulation techniques and their SNR to Bandwidth trade-off as accomplished in practice.

3.Electromagnetism: A clear understanding of Maxwell's equations and their significance is essential. Master vector calculus should as early as possible. Also, study the science of electromagnetism from standard Physics textbooks like Classical Electrodynamics by JD Jackson.

4.Microelectronics: Focus on understanding the working of devices (books like that of SM Sze come very handy). You should clearly understand the concept of biasing of active devices and various biasing techniques. Study bipolar and CMOS technology thoroughly.

Recommended reading
•Solid State Electronic Devices by Ben G Streetman, Sanjay Banerjee, 5th Edition
•Digital Communications by John G Proakis, 4th Edition
•Microelectronic Circuits by Adel S Sedra, Kenneth C Smith, 4th edition
•Digital Signal Processing by John G Proakis, 4th edition
•Automatic Control Systems by Benjamin C Kuo, 7th edition